2009-06-15 - Investment in renewable power generation has slumped in the wake of the financial crisis. But as industry associations join forces to promote Global Wind Day on June 15, Claus Madsen, head of ABB’s wind initiative, says the long-term prospects remain good.
By ABB Communications
The European Wind Energy Association and the Global Wind Energy Council are promoting awareness of wind energy as a principle means of reducing our appetite for fossil fuels and fighting the effects of global climate change.
Local events to celebrate the first Global Wind Day are planned in 32 countries across Europe, Asia and North America. The global event has grown on the success of European Wind Day, which in 2007 and 2008 saw hundreds of public events held in 20 European countries.
Although the economic downturn has dented investment in the wind industry this year, but its long-term prospects remain very attractive, said Claus Madsen, who leads ABB's cross-divisional wind initiative.
Largest supplier
"ABB is now and will remain a very strong supplier to this market," Madsen said. "Electricity generated by wind can replace much of the polluting fuel that we currently rely on, and are running out of."
ABB is the largest supplier of electrical products and services to the wind industry, with 15 global units making components that range from transformers and switchgear to cables, control systems and power products to help maintain the reliability of power grids.
Europe remains ABB's main market in the wind sector, representing about 65 percent of total sales, but business in China has been expanding very rapidly, Madsen said.
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The ABB-built BorWin1 HVDC Light transmission system will feed 400 MW of offshore wind power from the North Sea into the German grid. The converter station (pictured above) was installed on a platform in the North Sea earlier this month.
"Both the U.S. and China have invested heavily in wind power, and they will continue to invest," he said. "We are now supplying customers from our factories in China."
ABB supplies electrical products and systems to wind-turbine makers, engineering contractors, power producers and utilities. "We often develop products in close cooperation with our customers, and plan to introduce several new products in the next year," Madsen said.
"I'm convinced the wind industry has a strong future," he added. "Within the renewable energy sector, wind is the most tested, well integrated and technologically advanced energy source. Although 2009 has been slow in sales, I am very optimistic that this business holds great potential for ABB."
Madsen said wind is also the cheapest form of renewable energy, where projects can be installed in a matter of months. The industry is here to stay, and shows almost unlimited growth potential, he said.
Investment in renewable power generation lets countries and regions hedge against volatile fossil fuel prices.
U.S. first in wind installations
According to the Global Wind Energy Council, the U.S. has passed Germany with the largest number of wind installations in the world, while China’s total wind power capacity doubled for the fourth year in a row.
Last June the U.S. Department of Energy outlined an ambitious scenario in which wind generation supplies 20-percent of all U.S. electricity by 2030. In the U.S., this will require a huge expansion in transmission networks to carry the wind-generated power to consumers.
Total worldwide installations in 2008 reached more than 27,000 MW, dominated by the markets in Europe, North America and Asia.
Global wind energy capacity grew by 28.8 percent last year, even higher than the average over the past decade, to reach total global installations of more than 120.8 GW at the end of 2008. Over 27 GW of new wind power generation capacity came online in 2008, 36 percent more than in 2007.